Season Ends As #20 Florida Southern Downs Tampa

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - In the semifinals of the 2009 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Sunshine State Conference men's basketball tournament, The University of Tampa fell by an 80-59 score to No. 20 Florida Southern College. UT's season ends with a 16-12 record while FSC improves to 26-6.

Tampa kept the game close for the majority of the first half before the Mocs turned a 17-15 lead into a 31-17 advantage with 3:20 remaining until halftime. Florida Southern did not let the Spartans back into the game as it led by double figures for the final 19 minutes of the game.

Johnathan Ball came off the bench to lead Tampa with 18 points. Rashad Callaway and Anthony LaBruno joined Ball in double figures with 12 and 10 respectively. LaBruno grabbed a team-high six rebounds while Callaway had team honors with five assists and four steals.

For the game, Florida Southern shot 42.9 percent from the field while holding UT to a 30.8 clip. The Spartans attempted 18 three-pointers in the game, connecting on just four while FSC was 10-21 from beyond the arc. The Moccasins also outrebounded Tampa 51-34.

While ending the season with a 16-12 record, it was the 10th straight winning season for UT. The Spartans also finished SSC play with an 8-8 mark and a fourth place tie after being tabbed sixth in the preseason poll.